On tuesday 15th and wednesday 16th of february (so next week) from 10h to 18h, National Music Company will open its doors. Based in Brussels, Namusco is the official belgian distributor for Sega, Namco and Gaelco video games. These open days will be the opportunity for the professionals that weren't in London for the ATEI to try the latest games specially imported from the U.K. for the event. If you've never been there, you can check the map on their website: www.namusco.be ("Contact" section). Remember to bring your invitation with you!

The ATEI was a success once again. For the very first time, Sammy and Sega were sharing the same booth, that didn't avoid the fact that Sammy games looked pale aside their brothers from Sega. Another fact is that there are more american and canadian companies among the video-games exhibitors with manufacturers like Global VR, Triotech or Visual Sports Systems decided to regain the space left by the defunct Midway. We already told you about the games showcased by the different companies so it's useless to talk about it again. But we strongly advise you to check these two reports (in pictures): The first can be found at www.flippers.be and the other one at Arcadia amusements. Don't hesitate to come talk about it on our forum!

Tomorrow the ATEI will invest the Earls Court in London. Once again for 3 days, you'll discover the latest arcade games and other coin-op products. These are the games to be showcased by the main manufacturers; Konami: Dance Stage Fusion (dancing stage), Thrill Drive 3 (driving) and Lethal Enforcers 3 (shooting). Sega: Initial D 3 Cycraft (Cycraft version of the driving game based on Shuichi Shigeno's manga), Virtua Striker 4 (football game that for the first time features the true european players!), Mushiking (cards), Ghost Squad (the shooting game we reviewed last month), OutRun2 SP (OutRun2 upgrade kit, also exists in deluxe format) and two games with satellites; Derby Owners Club - Horse Shoe Edition (upgrade of the World Edition) and World Championship Club Football (football game that's played using Panini cards). Sammy: Faster Than Speed (driving), Ranger Mission (shooting), Extreme Hunting (shooting/hunting) et The King of Fighters Neowave (fighting). Namco will showcase his Tekken 5 and perhaps Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 2 (Maximum Tune update) and Cobra: The Arcade (shooting game based on the classic sci-fi manga "Space Adventure Cobra"). The American UltraCade Technologies will present a brand-new horse racing game called Breeder's Cup World Thoroughbread Championships Tournament Edition. Regarding other coin-ops; Namco will bring a pusher named Pacman Ball which features a video screen and Sega will unveil his SpongeBob Squarepants redemption game (with tickets). More info on the ATEI 2005's official website.

After numerous requests, here's the Arcade Belgium forum! This replaces the now defunct "Messages" section. Don't hesitate, come chat with us! The forum is divided in two parts: In the upper part; aside the general topics, there's a technical corner where you can ask for advices if you're having trouble with a PCB or a machine. There's also a gallery where you can post your pictures. The lower part is dedicated to this website, here you can submit your adverts (that will appear on the Marketplace) as well as additions/corrections to the locations list (and to the search-engine). You can at last submit your suggestions to improve the website. We're waiting for you!

Amusement Journal recently published a list of the games having generated the best income in november. These charts are based on figures reported by 50 arcades representing the japanese market. The charts which feature many fighting games haven't changed much since october. We invite you to have a look at it in our articles. Let's just note the remarkable entrance of the 2D fighting game Capcom Fighting Jam in 3rd place which sends Virtua Striker 2002 that was ranked 5th back to the locker room. Regarding games in dedicated cabinets, not many changes either. Quest of D, the role playing game by Sega lands in 4th place while WCC Football 2002-2003 disappears, the cabinets hosting this game having surely been converted to Quest of D machines.

We announced it one month ago, here it is! Thanks to Namusco, we were able to test Ghost Squad for you, the last shooting game from Sega running on the Chihiro hardware. Developed by AM2 (Daytona USA, Virtua Cop 3), this game drops you within an anti-terrorist squad. Is it a good game or not, you'll know it by reading the review!

Unusually, Sega releases a game exclusively aimed at a younger audience (from 5 to 12 years old). The goal of Mushiking is to collect all 18 insects cards and all 18 skills cards to use them in battles to help the elf Popo to rescue the king of insects, the famous Mushiking! A game works this way: after having inserted a coin, you receive a card (either insect or skill); then you scan one of your insects cards and possibly also one or several skills cards, the animal appears on the screen and the fight begins. It\'s in fact a duel of rock-paper-scissors between the two players. The insect of the players who won the duel has the right to attack the other insect once and then it restarts until one player\'s pest lifebar reachs zero. Especially designed for its aimed audience, the cabinet is only 1m20 tall. New cards are being produced as well as a fashion themed version for girls (that Mushiking machines can be converted to). For once, here\'s a game that will not only fits lunaparks but also supermarkets, fast-foods, toys shops, ... Mushiking will be available this month in Europe.Manufacturer: Sega. Size: 46(w)x61(d)x170(h) with marquee. Weight: 65Kg.

Today sees the release of the new Sega's shooter on Chihiro hardware: Ghost Squad. Fight terrorism through 3 missions; "Grand Villa", "Air Force One" and the "Jungle" where you'll sometimes have to use thermo and night visions. The cabinet features an assault riffle having 3 different shooting modes (single shot, 3 shots burst and full-automatic) which you can switch between at will. There's also a special action button used to launch grenades, defuse bombs, fight hand-to-hand, ... An IC card saves the player's progress while offering him the ability to rank up, change his uniform and weapon, replay a mission differently (e.g. by following an alternate path) and allows him to display all his data on the internet world wide ranking. We'll soon test the game, meanwhile, you'll find more info on the official website.Manufacturer: Sega. Size: 120(w)x168(d)x223(h). This game is available now at Namusco.

Every year sees its King of Fighters. For 10 years, this 2D versus fighting games saga managed to gather many fans. Year 2004 shows the transition of the series from the Neo-Geo MVS to the Atomiswave hardware. This new edition by SNK Playmore features: 36 characters (plus 6 unlockable ones), 3 game modes, high-resolution backgrounds and the appearance of a 5th button (named "heat", this one increases your power while decreasing your health). The King of Fighters NeoWave is available in bundle with the Atomiswave mainboard. Click here to see some screenshots and discover the fighters' roster as well as the different game modes explaination on the official website.

Following the story of the manga of the same name created in 1996 by Shuichi Shigeno, Sega's Initial D version 3 presents the young Takumi whom dream's to become the number 1 street racer, those underground races take place on Mt. Akina's slopes. Released in september on Naomi 2, this "version 3" brings lots of new features: 2 new courses (plus the Mount Akina in snow condition), 3 new rivals taken from the manga's latest volumes, 4 new cars (the Lancer Evolution V & VI, the RX-8 Type-S and the Skyline25GT-T) as well as new musical scores for a total of 8 courses, 27 rivals and 35 vehicles to choose from. As in previous versions, the player will be able to use points he earned from duels to tune and power up his car. Following numerous players request, cars specifications have been modified. Players owning IC cards from versions 1 and 2 of the game will be able to transfer some of their data to "version 3" cards. This game is available as either an upgrade kit for version 2 or a full twin cabinet. More info on the official website.